Summary

Entering her fortieth year, Beverly Donofrio, a "lapsed Catholic", inexplicably begins collecting Virgin Mary memorabilia at yard sales. Her search for kitsch, however, soon becomes a spiritual quest, leading her to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Medjugorje. There, she learns that Mary comes into your life only when pride steps out and receives a bonus: hope. In Looking for Mary, Donofrio offers the universal story about a woman who-in a quest for the Blessed Mother-finds herself.

Booklist Review

Two new books focus on the almost seductive allure of the Virgin Mary. In Boyer's sumptuously illustrated Cult of the Virgin, a tremendously diverse array of images of the Virgin Mary are offered for visual consumption. Spanning both time and geography, these extravagant representations reflect the enormity of the cross-cultural and--according to the author--almost cultlike devotion bestowed upon the Holy Mother by centuries of dedicated believers. While the accompanying text provides an analysis of the history and the intensity of Marian worship, the gorgeous color photographs are fully capable of standing on their own. A feast for the eyes as well as the soul. On a more personal level, Donofrio, a divorced single mother and admittedly lapsed Catholic, recounts her often painful spiritual odyssey from bitter nonbeliever to staunch devotee of the Virgin Mary. Disconnected from her son and comforting images of the Virgin Mary, she decides to undertake a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in order to fill her heart with the love and the faith she has been missing. Juxtaposing her remarkable experiences in Medjugorje with revealing vignettes from her troubled past, she paints a full-bodied portrait of her inner struggle to achieve grace. --Margaret Flanagan

Publisher's Weekly Review

Stereotypes abound concerning pilgrims to the Bosnian village of Medjugorje (where the Virgin Mary has allegedly been appearing since 1981), who claim to witness all manner of miracles: spinning suns, medals of the Virgin turning to gold, Mary herself scurrying down a street in a gray gown. Donofrio's new book, which took shape as a series on National Public Radio, explodes these stereotypes. It begins when, against all logic, the author begins flooding her home with images of the Virgin. Donofrio follows a hunch by going to Medjugorje, as a writer rather than a devotee, but that pretense quickly dissolves. She becomes a believer, though not in any cookie-cutter, uncritical sense. Listening to a stern Franciscan berate pilgrims in Medjugorje, she says, "I do not want to be a crazy, sign-seeing, rose-smelling, rigid, right-to-life Catholic"Dand though she sees signs and smells roses before long, she avoids both insanity and rigidity. Donofrio forges her own relationship with Mary, expressed partly through the institutional Catholic Church and partly despite and around it. While the crises in her own lifeDa troubled relationship with her son, a series of failed love affairs and unresolved ambiguities about an abortionDpropel Donofrio's quest, this chronicle does not read like an exercise in wish-fulfillment. It feels rather like the story of a woman who, after decades of seeking, found her mother, and through her, discovered herself. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Library Journal Review

This is the second book by Donofrio, who gained recognition with her popular Riding in Cars with Boys: Confessions of a Bad Girl Who Makes Good, which is currently being made into a feature film. Here Donofrio continues to utilize her autobiographical writing style, this time describing a spiritual path. Donofrio chronicles an outer journey that began with an irreligious interest in collecting statues of the Virgin Mary and continued as she visits many American locations where Mary has allegedly been sighted. Her curiosity eventually provoked her to travel to the famed Bosnian city of Medjugorje. All these experiences paralleled a more profound inner journey of spiritual transformation. Deeply personal and wonderfully written, this book invites the reader to confront skeptical attitudes about religion, religious practices, and religious dogmas and step into the divine light. All this from a most unlikely prophet. Recommended for public libraries.DJohn-Leonard Berg, Univ. of Wisconsin, Platteville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.